Sunday, August 31, 2008

The grandeur of a fully illuminated night sky with billions of shining stars looming overhead can be a humbling and profound visual experience. Such visions can reawaken our minds to the boundless wonders of the world that surrounds us day and night. All creation, here and beyond, seen and unseen comes from stardust. Awareness and knowledge of the universe allows us to see beyond ourselves. It broadens our perspective. Only then can we truly appreciate the miracle of life and tell our story within a greater truth. Use the link below to see all the pictures.

Friday, August 29, 2008

It’s hard to believe that a year as passed since I was invited to do a self-contained bike tour in Japan. How I’ll be taking off in less than a week on Sept 4th. I’ll spend two months touring Japan with friends Jay and Geno along with Jay's son Andrew and his friend Korey returning on November 4th, 2008. We’ll fly into Tokyo and catch a ferry to the northern most island of Hokkaido and begin our tour. Although we have a planned route which also encompasses the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, we do not have a specific time table for a final destination. Our tour will conclude when our allotted time of two month is at its end. I do have a small portable PC so I plan to update this blog and

site if all goes well. One thing I’ve learned from my cross-country bike tour in the spring is that PC access, internet connections, and available time can make blog updates a real challenge while on the road. We’ll see how it goes. Use the link below to see all the pictures.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The passing cars disappear around the bend and I am again alone in the middle of a remote desert landscape. In their wake, dust lingers in the air momentarily before settling. Silence again prevails upon the warm afternoon as I pedal mile after mile far from anywhere. Ahead, the narrow road stretches toward the horizon and beyond. It is difficult to see into the distance because of glare from a bright afternoon sun. Alas, I may not encounter another person for hours. With only myself for company, I think of my wife and try to imagine what she might be doing back home. It has been awhile since I began so I think of her often during the long days of riding. Sometimes, there are feelings of guilt for leaving her behind. But always, the open road has beckoned. It’s an obsession to which we concede. Before every fork in the road and around every bend, I am compelled by curiosity and the anticipation of what lies ahead. And at every road’s end is yet another road. With miles and miles to go, I can only find solace in the irony that the farther I ride from her; the sooner I will see her upon my journey’s end.

Monday, August 4, 2008

My words could never adequately describe the beauty of the mountain ranges from our camp next to the Owens River within the Long Valley Caldera off Hwy 395. This high desert landscape sitting within an ancient caldera is surrounded by rugged mountains with heights to 14,000 feet. In an area devoid of trees, it didn’t take long to be captivated by the unobstructed beauty of the surrounding views. Like the hypnotic sounds of a melodic song, I was mesmerized by the tonal harmony of the nearby mountains. From a bluish hue to a golden glow from an ever changing light, the mountains loomed and radiated casting its spell over those who gazed.

For 6 days, I joined Geno and friends camping along the Owens River just north of Crowley Lake. There we were surrounded by the Sierra Nevada, White, and Benton Mountain Ranges. We biked and hiked around the region by day and spent our nights under the light of the stars. Use the link below to see some pictures.

My first experience with blogging was to document and share my adventures during a 2008 loaded bike tour across the U.S. on the Southern Tier route organized by the Adventure Cyclist Association; see links below. My intentions now are to share events and pictures with family, friends and whomever may be interested. I'm into cycling, hiking, birding, and just general travel, both locally and afar when possible. On any given day and more often than not, I will be out cycling. Being a shutterbug at times, a blog like this is also the perfect medium to show some pictures. Some of my older pictures are located at “pbase.com”. Hope you enjoy it. Herb